CCM Students Remind Us to Enjoy Life in 'You Can't Take It With You,' Oct. 28 - Nov. 1

Photos By: Mark Lyons

   CCM, the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, presents the Pulitzer prize-winning comedy You Can’t Take It With You, by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, Oct. 28 - Nov. 1, 2009, in the Patricia Corbett Theater.

Adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 1938, You Can’t Take It With You has been a perennial favorite for more than 70 years. Set during the Great Depression, the play tells the story of two very different families coping with love and searching for the American dream. The exacting Kirby family believes in rules, hard work and rigid organization. The delightfully mad Sycamore family, on the other hand, celebrates independence and freedom from convention—with a certain requisite amount of chaos. When young Tony Kirby falls in love with Alice Sycamore, the two families are forced to sort out their differences and ultimately determine what’s really important in life.


As grandchildren of the Great Depression, director Richard Hess and scenic designer Tom Umfrid immediately connected to the play. "We’ve had fun just talking about how this play resonates personally," says Hess. He continues, "My Grandfather Baldwin, who came from a family of eight, was in his 20s during the Great Depression. Growing up, he learned about thrift and the value of a dollar. I was raised with that, too. But when the Baldwins were older, their house was my favorite. Somebody would always be playing the piano and someone would always be singing."